Late Rice TD lifts Tigers in 3-OT thriller

Sep. 15—OAK HILL — Brodee Rice was happy for a chance at redemption.

The Princeton High School senior scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal in the third overtime period Friday, handing the undefeated Tigers a 20-17 victory over the Oak Hill Red Devils at John P. Duda Stadium.

Rice had reached the end zone on a 9-yard run in the second extra period, and that and the game-winner helped him atone for a fumble he had inside the 10 on Princeton's first overtime possession, a ball which was scooped up by Oak Hill's J.D. Mauritz.

"I knew what I needed to do," said Rice, who wound up with 77 yards and two scores on the night. "I was honored the coaches put their trust back in me."

"We took this team a little lighter than we should have," he added.

Oak Hill's Ethan Vargo-Thomas, who got the scoring on the evening started with a 55-yard interception return to paydirt early in the second quarter, just missed a field goal late in regulation and he misfired on another three-pointer in the first OT. However, Vargo-Thomas responded by splitting the uprights for a 32-yard field goal as the Red Devils had possession first in the third extra period, setting the stage for Rice's heroics.

Omar Lewis provided a short TD run in the second OT period for the hosts.

Princeton's first score of the game, also in the second frame, came on a 27-yard pass from Grant Cochran to Dominick Collins.

"Let's give Oak Hill all the credit," said Princeton head coach Chris Pedigo. "Oak Hill played a heck of a game tonight.

"I was worried about their (Wing-T) offense all week, but I didn't know their defense would play that well."

"Other than their good defense, we killed ourselves with execution," he added. "Our kids kept their focus. We made enough plays.

"What a ball game."

His coaching counterpart, Oak Hill's David Moneypenny, said his squad played good mid-field defense all night, adding, "At the end of the game, they had a short field (overtime possessions start at the 20). It's really hard to hold a team like Princeton back (from the 20).

"They're a really good football team, and they're well-coached."

"It's tough to lose (a game like that)," he said. "It's tough to look at the boys, and try to explain to them how hard they played."

On the night, Cochran completed 13 of 25 passes for 102 yards. He was intercepted by Vargo-Thomas and Lewis.

Collins led the receiving corps with 46 yards on seven catches, and Marquel Lowe rushed 14 times for 82 yards.

Mauritz gained 69 hard-earned yards on 17 carries for the Red Devils. Vargo-Thomas rushed for 51 yards.

Oak Hill (1-2) plays at Lincoln County High at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16.

Princeton (3-0) is idle until a Sept. 23 game at Lord Botetourt, Va.

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Princeton 20, Oak Hill 17

P (3-0): 0 7 0 0 0 7 6 — 20

OH (1-2): 0 7 0 0 0 7 3 — 17

Second quarter

OH: Ethan Vargo-Thomas 55 interception return (Vargo-Thomas kick, 7-0, 9:26

P: Dominick Collins 27 pass from Grant Cochran (Casey Geso kick), 7-7, 2:46

2nd OT

P: Brodee Rice 9 run (Geso kick), 14-7

OH: Omar Lewis 1 run (Vargo-Thomas kick), 14-14

3rd OT

OH: Vargo-Thomas 32 field goal, 17-14

P: Rice 1 run, 20-17

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — P: Brodee Rice 14-77-2, Marquel Lowe 14-82. OH: Alex Baxter 12-28, Omar Lewis 9-17-1, J.D. Mauritz 17-69, Ethan Vargo-Thomas 9-51, Alex Colaiseno 2-(-17), Eli Gray 2-7, James Green 1-(-1), Trent Rider 5-21

PASSING — P: Grant Cochran 13-25-2-102-1. OH: Alex Colaiseno 1-3-1-6-0

RECEIVING — P: Dominick Collins 7-46-1, Bradley Mosser 3-34, Carter Meachum 2-13, Davon Edwards 1-9. OH: Trent Rider 1-6

TAKEAWAYS — P: Davon Edwards (INT), Marquel Lowe (FR). OH: Ethan Vargo-Thomas (INT-TD), Omar Lewis (INT), J.D. Mauritz (FR)